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Outsider Art in Gallerie de l’Allée

Mid-20th c., Jean DuBuffet declared that only artists uncompromised by the dominant culture were free of its nefarious influence. “Art brut” or “raw art” by painters expressing themselves without formal training was “authentic.” Later in the 1970s, “outsider art,” work produced without the blessing of “high culture,” was thought to be part of a “modern” movement challenging traditional values.

Can painting escape the evils of capitalism? Can an artist hope for public recognition not tied to the price per square inch charged by businessmen who must promote work designed to compete in the marketplace?

Here, in Seattle’s Central District, neighbors Sean and Amy, proprietors of Pistil Books Online, have established a Gallerie de l’Allée near the intersection of 14th Ave and Union. Hanging on two exterior walls of the garage behind their building, the paintings are contributed by local donors. Evoking a wide spectrum of styles and subjects, these works are acquired for prices unheard of from Pioneer Square gallerists: a maximum of $5 each, regardless of size. Contributors must, of course, be unafraid of what might befall their treasures: wind, rain, even the occasional bonfire of partying art lovers. Meanwhile the work is “out there,” “exposed,” “on view” and in public.